This invention relates to weightlifting, and more particularly to a muscle group isolation device worn during weightlifting exercises to enhance the benefits of arm and back exercises including bicep, tricep, neck and back development exercises.
Weightlifting is a popular and useful means of physical exercise that provides benefits to many people. Due to this popularity, a variety of devices have been developed for isolating various muscle groups so they can receive maximum benefit from various weightlifting exercises. In this way, strength, mass, or muscle tone can be developed more effectively and over a shorter period of time.
Various devices are used by weightlifters to isolate muscle groups when performing arm exercises, such as curls, for the biceps. One such device, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,183, includes a curved rigid bar made of metal or plastic which fits over the weightlifter""s chest. The bar is held in place by an adjustable neck band. The ends of the bar extend outwardly from opposite sides of the body, behind and just above the elbows. The back portions of the weightlifter""s arms rest against the ends of the rigid bar. The ends of the bar can have a slight curvature to conform to the back of the arms to hold them in place during use. When performing curls, the ends of the rigid bar act as a restraint to resist the forces applied during the exercise. This device attempts to keep the arms in place by preventing the elbows from drifting away from the sides of the body, thereby decreasing the effectiveness of the exercise.
This type of device suffers from several disadvantages. The wide rigid bar, which fits over the lifter""s chest, digs into the chest when the ends of the bar resist the force of the weight during use. This causes painful pinching of the skin and uncomfortable pressure on the front of the chest. In addition, the lifter""s arms often are not constantly held in place on the ends of the rigid bar. There is a tendency for the elbows to move outwardly when performing weightlifting exercises such as curls, and they can slip off the ends of the bar. The neck strap can cause discomfort when the device is used and there is potential for the neck strap to cause injury if the device is used improperly or the weightlifter becomes overly fatigued. This device also is not designed well for use by women. Additionally, the device was designed solely for use when conducting curls to exercise the biceps and provides no benefit during triceps extension exercises.
Another device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,675, which comprises a flexible strap secured with velcro type fasteners. As with the device described above, a neck strap is required to position the device on the chest of the user. The ends of the strap are then routed behind and around the user""s arms before being separately fastened to the back central portion of the strap, thereby holding a weightlifter""s arms in two separate, cuff-type loops. This device functions by locking a weightlifter""s arms in a controlled position at the sides of the user for curl and similar biceps exercises. This device is essentially a flexible version of the bar type device, described above, that adds the improvement of being able to lock the arms in position. As with the bar type device, the neck strap can cause discomfort when the device is used and there is potential for the neck strap to cause injury if the device is used improperly or the weightlifter becomes overly fatigued.
When using the strap described above, weightlifters with large upper arms require assistance to fasten the ends of the strap to the back central portion of the strap in order to use the device properly. If a weightlifter with large upper arms fastens the ends to the central portion with no assistance, he or she will not be able to achieve the proper arm position to receive maximum benefit from the exercise. As with the bar type device, there is no teaching of the use of this device for triceps extensions and other exercises wherein the arms are not at the sides of the weightlifter, but rather move through an arc overhead and in front of the weightlifter. Additionally, the presence of the neck strap and the requirement that the device function to hold the arms rigidly fixed at the sides of the weightlifter precludes use of this device during triceps exercises.
The present invention provides a muscle group isolation device for weightlifters which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior arm locking devices and which also provides additional improvements in accomplishing the desired results of numerous additional arm exercises beyond the biceps curls for which the arm locking devices are intended.
This invention provides a muscle group isolation device for use by weightlifters which includes an elongated flexible strap which is substantially non stretchable in its axial dimension. An adjustable fastening means, such as a buckle, is provided on one or both ends of the strap, adjustably holding the ends of the strap in fixed positions, relative to each other, so that the strap forms one continuous loop. The strap is long enough so that when a weightlifter places his or her arms through the loop, formed by the strap, it wraps both arms of the weightlifter behind the triceps and over the biceps and allows the weightlifter to keep his or her arms in the desired position for the exercise being conducted. When the weightlifter""s arms are through the loop, the fastening means is positioned on the side of the loop facing away from the weightlifter""s torso (the front of the loop), and approximately centered between the arms. The right and left ends of the loop are padded for the weightlifter""s comfort and the pads are slidably attached to the strap so the position of the pads may be effectively altered to meet the size needs of the weightlifter.
Before exercising the biceps or triceps, the weightlifter adjusts the loop to the desired size, inserts his or her arms through the loop, and positions the arm pads so they engage the weightlifter""s arms approximately midway between the elbows and the shoulders. Used in this manner, the strap assists the weightlifter in maintaining the desired distance between his or her arms, thereby permitting the weightlifter to properly perform exercises designed to address development and strength needs for specific muscles such as biceps, triceps and other upper body muscle groups during weightlifting exercises.
During use, the strap creates no resistance to the normal lifting action, and assists the weightlifter in maintaining the proper position of the arms. As a result, the effect of the weightlifting exercises can be isolated on many specific muscle groups for training and enhancement thereof.
The flexibility of the strap allows the weightlifter to exercise with heavy weights without a metal bar painfully pinching his or her chest. Unlike the prior art, the current invention does not use a neck strap to hold it in position, thereby eliminating the risk of neck pain or injury caused by the invention. The invention can be used to assist the weightlifter in the proper performance of more exercises than could be accomplished using devices disclosed in the prior art.